Ecological Demands Research Articles

Spatio-temporal evolution of urban land use and ecological water demand based on remote sensing image technology

Spatio-temporal evolution of urban land use and ecological water demand based on remote sensing image technology

基于生态需水保障的农业用水安全评价——以山东省引黄灌区为例

基于生态需水保障的农业用水安全评价——以山东省引黄灌区为例

Ensuring of Consumer Choice Ecologization on the Basis of Consumption Safety: International Experience for Ukraine

The article is devoted to the disclosure of the results of the study of threats to the environment, sustainable development and consumption safety that arise in the process of consumption. The problems of formation of the environment which promotes growth of ecological demand in Ukraine in comparison with other states are analyzed. Factors of internal, external and situational influence on consumer choice at each stage of consumption (awareness of needs, search for information, evaluation of alternatives, purchasing, use and utilization) are investigated. The main of them such as values, culture of consumption, marketing (promotion), level of development of institutional base (legislation, social norms) are established and their optimal level in conditions of uncertainty is proved. Conclusions are made on the basis of using methods of office research, sociological survey, modeling on the basis of fuzzy logic with the use of expert assessments. The leading role of the factor of internal influence, which covers human values that can be improved by raising the educational and cultural level of the population, which is undoubtedly related to income is proved.

Implementation of social and ecological innovations of cities of the Western Ukraine

Recently, the global economic community has been focusing on the importance of accelerated innovative development of the national economy. World institutes predict scientific and technological growth as the main engine of survival of enterprises and countries in today's competitive environment. Concerning the formation of innovation infrastructure, it is advisable to define the latter as a set of related and complementary production and technical, information and communication structures, enterprises, management systems, necessary and sufficient for successful reproduction of innovation, as well as implementation and dissemination of innovations to implement innovation strategy development. Infrastructure should promote the territorial spread of innovations or scientific and technical capabilities of the state to satisfy public interests. Thus, innovation should be considered a complex process of creating, disseminating and using a new practical tool for a new social need. Management of the formation of the market of ecological innovations at the state level is designed to ensure the reproduction of ecological demand, ecologically oriented production base, human factors and motives for greening. The eco-innovation market is a segment of the overall innovation market. Ecological interests (national, regional, local and personal) are important for the formation of the market of ecological innovations. A partial idea of the interests of consumers gives the attitude of the population to environmental problems – the higher the concern of consumers about environmental problems, the higher their interest in environmental innovation. According to the significance of changes in the nature, content and results of the enterprise and its units distinguish technological, production, economic, trade, social, and innovation in management. The main essence of innovations in the social and ecological sphere of the organization of cities of the Western region of Ukraine is considered in the article. The main factors contributing to the emergence of innovations in the social and environmental spheres and the need for their development are identified. The concepts of «innovation» and «innovation process» are studied. The most well-known methods for finding funding sources for innovation in the social and environmental spheres are analyzed. The main goal of innovation in cities' social and ecological development in the Western region is emphasized. The main problems that significantly affect people's quality and safety in the Western cities of Ukraine are identified.

Wind Resistance of Eastern Baltic Silver Birch (Betula pendula Roth.) Suggests Its Suitability for Periodically Waterlogged Sites

Storms and wind damage are the main cause of biomass loss in forests of Northern Europe, as well as they are synergic with the disturbances causing intense water and temperature stress. This highlights the necessity for climate-smart management at landscape level coupling ecological demands of forestry species with their wind resistance. Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), which is highly plastic species, appears to be promising for a wider application under such conditions, as it is believed to tolerate wide range of weather conditions. Though silver birch can be sensitive to water deficit and windthrow, local information on its wind tolerance in sites with different moisture regimes is advantageous. Mechanical stability of 71 mid-aged silver birches (Betula pendula Roth.) growing in seven dry (Hylocomiosa) and five periodically waterlogged (Myrtilloso-sphagnosa) sites with mineral soils in Latvia (hemiboreal lowland conditions) were assessed by the destructive static pulling tests. Site type had a significant, yet intermediate effect on the stability of silver birch. As expected, trees under periodically waterlogged conditions were more prone to collapse under static loading, however, they showed a better resistance to primary failure (beginning of wood structure deformation). Uprooting was the most common form of tree collapse. Surprisingly, considering similar root depths, stem breakage was more frequent in the periodically waterlogged than dry sites (21.9 vs. 5.1%, respectively), indicating high loading resistance of roots, supporting high plasticity and wind resistance of the studied metapopulation of silver birch. Nevertheless, in the periodically waterlogged sites, the difference between forces needed to cause primary and secondary (collapse) failures of stem decreased with age/size, implying necessity for optimization of rotation length. Accordingly, quantification of wind resistance can aid climate-smart selection of species for forest regeneration depending on landscape, suggesting birch as wind resistant option under periodically waterlogged conditions.

A Multi-Timescale Integrated Operation Model for Balancing Power Generation, Ecology, and Water Supply of Reservoir Operation

In traditional ecological scheduling, a single monthly or daily model will lead to the incomplete transmission of ecological information or increase the complexity of solving problems. Therefore, a multi-timescale nested model (MTNM) is proposed. Although the MTNM can express the daily flow process of environmental flow, the quadratic nested calculation method cannot obtain the optimal solution for the daily scheduling scheme. Targeting the problem that long and short-term objectives cannot obtain the optimal solution at the same time, this paper proposes a multi-timescale integrated model (MTIM) which considers the monthly, 10-day, and daily scale. The model is applied to the Liujiaxia reservoir. The scheduling results show that, compared with the MTNM, the MTIM can better meet the multi-objective demand. In a wet year, when both models can guarantee water supply and ecological demand, the MTIM increases electricity generation by 0.91%. In a dry year, electricity generation can still be increased by 4.35% without sacrificing the ecological and water supply benefits of the lower reaches. In different typical years, the MTIM can improve the contradictory relationship between multi-objective by improving the utilization efficiency of water. The results can improve the decision support for the operation process of other reservoirs with ecological needs.

Seasonal plasticity in the adult somatosensory cortex

Seasonal cycles govern life on earth, from setting the time for the mating season to influencing migrations and governing physiological conditions like hibernation. The effect of such changing conditions on behavior is well-appreciated, but their impact on the brain remains virtually unknown. We investigate long-term seasonal changes in the mammalian brain, known as Dehnel's effect, where animals exhibit plasticity in body and brain sizes to counter metabolic demands in winter. We find large seasonal variation in cellular architecture and neuronal activity in the smallest terrestrial mammal, the Etruscan shrew, Suncus etruscus Their brain, and specifically their neocortex, shrinks in winter. Shrews are tactile hunters, and information from whiskers first reaches the somatosensory cortex layer 4, which exhibits a reduced width (-28%) in winter. Layer 4 width (+29%) and neuron number (+42%) increase the following summer. Activity patterns in the somatosensory cortex show a prominent reduction of touch-suppressed neurons in layer 4 (-55%), the most metabolically active layer. Loss of inhibitory gating occurs with a reduction in parvalbumin-positive interneurons, one of the most active neuronal subtypes and the main regulators of inhibition in layer 4. Thus, a reduction in neurons in layer 4 and particularly parvalbumin-positive interneurons may incur direct metabolic benefits. However, changes in cortical balance can also affect the threshold for detecting sensory stimuli and impact prey choice, as observed in wild shrews. Thus, seasonal neural adaptation can offer synergistic metabolic and behavioral benefits to the organism and offer insights on how neural systems show adaptive plasticity in response to ecological demands.

Surf and turf vision: Patterns and predictors of visual acuity in compound eye evolution

Eyes have the flexibility to evolve to meet the ecological demands of their users. Relative to camera-type eyes, the fundamental limits of optical diffraction in arthropod compound eyes restrict the ability to resolve fine detail (visual acuity) to much lower degrees. We tested the capacity of several ecological factors to predict arthropod visual acuity, while simultaneously controlling for shared phylogenetic history. In this study, we have generated the most comprehensive review of compound eye visual acuity measurements to date, containing 385 species that span six of the major arthropod classes. An arthropod phylogeny, made custom to this database, was used to develop a phylogenetically-corrected generalized least squares (PGLS) linear model to evaluate four ecological factors predicted to underlie compound eye visual acuity: environmental light intensity, foraging strategy (predator vs. non-predator), horizontal structure of the visual scene, and environmental medium (air vs. water). To account for optical constraints on acuity related to animal size, body length was also included, but this did not show a significant effect in any of our models. Rather, the PGLS analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of compound eye acuity are described by a combination of environmental medium, foraging strategy, and environmental light intensity.

A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Geographic Mandibular Variation in the Dwarf Gerbil Gerbillus nanus (Gerbillinae, Rodentia)

Previous studies have demonstrated the pliability and adaptability of mammalian mandibles in response to different ecological demands such as food availability. The dwarf gerbil Gerbillus nanus has a wide distribution in Asia in which it encounters varied environments. These varied environments can house different food resources and it would be adaptively advantageous for the opportunistic rodents to have mandibles best suited for the most prevalent food resource. Geometric morphometric analysis was used to test this hypothesis by examining mandibular variation in 436 G. nanus specimens sampled from 44 localities. Based on this sample, mandibular morphology seems to be highly conserved in this species, with both size and shape being non-significantly different between pairs of geographic groups (i.e., locality clusters) and ecoregions. Mandibular size and shape are both not strongly predicted by 48 examined environmental variables. Despite this, the most variable aspect of mandibular shape was associated with its caudal regions, spanning from the coronoid process to the ventral mandibular border. These are regions of temporalis and masseter muscle attachments and thus mandibular variation could be associated with differential (potentially plastic) masticatory adaptations.

Patterns of correlations and locomotor specialization in anuran limbs: association with phylogeny and ecology

As anuran saltatory locomotion has specific functional requirements achieved through certain intra- and inter-limb proportions, we analyzed pattern and degree of morphological integration in limbs of ten anuran species to reveal the relationship of shared developmental programs of serially homologous structures and locomotor specialization. Our main objectives were (1) to examine if morphological and functional differences in forelimb and hindlimb were associated with reduced covariation between limbs, (2) and to reveal patterns of correlation between species and the roles played by evolutionary history (phylogeny) and ecology (lifestyle and habitat use). Species with different locomotor behaviours (walking, jumping, hopping, running, climbing, swimming and burrowing) were used. Partial correlations showed that species shared similar patterns of functionally based morphological integration, with increased correlations in elements within limbs and reduced correlations between limbs. This was mainly based on strong correlations between proximal elements, humerus-radioulna and femur-tibiofibula. To test the influence of phylogenetic relationships and ecological demands we used different matrices (correlation similarity matrix, ecological similarity matrix, matrices of phylogenetic distance and morphological distance). The changes in correlation patterns are shown to be dissociated from phylogeny. On the other hand, they are to some extent shaped by habitat use and locomotion, as the species with similar locomotor behaviour also tend to have stronger similarity in integration patterns. The results from this study provide insight into the processes underlying the evolutionary change of anuran limbs, highlighting function as the main factor that shaped morphological integration of the examined species.

Invasions of alien woody plant taxa across a cluster of villages neighbouring the Mlyňany Arboretum (SW Slovakia)

Abstract Ornamental plantations in cities and particularly botanical gardens and arboreta are rich sources of alien flora. Mlyňany Arboretum, established in 1892, cultivates 1049 non-native woody plant species on the area of 67 ha. In this work we answered following questions: 1. How many taxa are spontaneously spreading in the arboretum and how is the spreading intensity related to their ecological demands and reproduction traits? 2. How many taxa appear behind the fence? 3. How far from the arboretum they can get? 4. Do private gardens and historical aristocratic park in the studied village cluster contribute to species escapes from culture? 5. Which from the widely spread taxa can represent future risk of invasiveness on the national level? We found that about one tenth of taxa spread across the arboretum (particularly Cotoneaster spp., Prunus laurocerasus, P. serotina and Quercus rubra) and number of their seedlings corresponded only with the mother plant number. Almost one third of these species left the arboretum and their seedlings were observed in distance up to 500 m from the village (mainly Mahonia aquifolium, P. serotina). Private gardens were a large source of Juglans regia seedlings, frequency of which decreased with the distance from villages (no species escaped from the historical park). Weed risk assessment revealed potential invasion danger only for Amorpha fruticosa.

Design of The Performance Evaluation of Suppliers at UKM Weedang Uwuh Based on Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM)

The development of small business is increasing with the presence of global competition. The current industrial ecology demands a continuous evaluation process to be able to survive and strive to improve quality products. Weeka Wedang Uwuh continuously improves its business system by paying attention to suppliers of raw materials. Supplier evaluation is carried out to guarantee sustainable quality and performance. Sustainable performance evaluation can produce good judgment if it is supported by a performance appraisal instrument. Supplier performance assessment will be useful to build a good and sustainable relationship between entrepreneurs and suppliers. The design of supplier performance evaluation is carried out using the QCDFR model approach namely, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Flexibility and Responsibility. The sub-criteria study that forms the QCDFR model is carried out using the interview method. QCDFR and Sub Criteria hereinafter referred to as KPI (Key Performance Indicator). KPI is an indicator of ongoing evaluation of the relationship between suppliers and entrepreneurs. The assessment of suppliers from entrepreneurs is carried out using the AHP approach which is able to show the weight of the entrepreneur's assessment of the ability of suppliers. The results of the Weeka Wedang Uwuh supplier performance evaluation model design results in a formulation to measure KPIs with criteria: quality of raw materials (size and condition of raw materials), ease of service (payment tolerance and information on availability and price changes, experience (average transaction value and average) average number of transactions), speed of response (changes in the amount and change in time and price of raw materials). Evaluation of the supplier's weight assessment for raw materials of ginger, sugar and sapphire resulted in the values of Mr. Sarno 0.501, Sugeng 0.709 and Mbak Wang 0.690. KPI measurement reinforces the results of the evaluation of weight assessment using AHP.

Combined Comparative Genomics and Gene Expression Analyses Provide Insights into the Terpene Synthases Inventory in Trichoderma

Trichoderma is a fungal genus comprising species used as biocontrol agents in crop plant protection and with high value for industry. The beneficial effects of these species are supported by the secondary metabolites they produce. Terpenoid compounds are key players in the interaction of Trichoderma spp. with the environment and with their fungal and plant hosts; however, most of the terpene synthase (TS) genes involved in their biosynthesis have yet not been characterized. Here, we combined comparative genomics of TSs of 21 strains belonging to 17 Trichoderma spp., and gene expression studies on TSs using T. gamsii T6085 as a model. An overview of the diversity within the TS-gene family and the regulation of TS genes is provided. We identified 15 groups of TSs, and the presence of clade-specific enzymes revealed a variety of terpenoid chemotypes evolved to cover different ecological demands. We propose that functional differentiation of gene family members is the driver for the high number of TS genes found in the genomes of Trichoderma. Expression studies provide a picture in which different TS genes are regulated in many ways, which is a strong indication of different biological functions.

Water replenishment for ecological flow with E-WAS framework: a case study of the Longgang River Basin, Shenzhen, China

Abstract. With rapid urbanization, there will be more conflict between human systems and the riverine ecological system, and therefore, ecological operations, practices and research must involve the ecological water replenishment of entire river basins with new modeling tools. In this study, we establish an ecological flow-oriented water resource allocation and simulation framework (E-WAS). Virtual reservoirs and ecological units are added to the water resources network. With new water balance equations for virtual reservoirs and ecological units, the E-WAS can simulate the ecological replenishment process in a river basin and can provide a recommended water replenishment scheme that considers optimization principles. The E-WAS was applied in the Longgang River Basin, Shenzhen, China. 17 ecological units and 45 water supply nodes are considered in the model. A water replenishment scheme that used water from 31 reservoirs and reclaimed water from 7 water sewage plants was selected. This scheme significantly increased the satisfactory degree of ecological water demand and efficiently supported the formulation of a control scheme for the water environment of a basin. The E-WAS framework is similar to model plug-ins but helps to avoid the large workload that is required for model redevelopment and can expand the functions of models quickly.

Physical topography is associated with human personality.

Regional differences in personality are associated with a range of consequential outcomes. But which factors are responsible for these differences? Frontier settlement theory suggests that physical topography is a crucial factor shaping the psychological landscape of regions. Hence, we investigated whether topography is associated with regional variation in personality across the United States (n = 3,387,014). Consistent with frontier settlement theory, results from multilevel modelling revealed that mountainous areas were lower on agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism and conscientiousness but higher on openness to experience. Conditional random forest algorithms confirmed mountainousness as a meaningful predictor of personality when tested against a conservative set of controls. East-west comparisons highlighted potential differences between ecological (driven by physical features) and sociocultural (driven by social norms) effects of mountainous terrain.

Dependence of Weed Composition on Cultivated Plant Species and Varieties in Energy-Tree and -Grass Plantations

Energy plantations create new habitats in agricultural landscapes with species compositions different from those in forests or farmlands. The purpose of our nine-year research project (2010–2018) was to evaluate the dependence of weed-species richness and their selected ecological aspects on stands of energy-plant species, and varieties in energy-tree and -grass plantations in conditions of Central Europe, on the basis of a case study. The permanent research plots were established in plantations containing two varieties of willow (Tordis and Inger), one poplar variety (Pegaso), and one clone of Miscanthus × giganteus. This evaluation included the species composition of understory flora, habitat preferences of different species, life cycle, life forms, ecological demands, and the harmfulness of these weed-species. The ground flora of energy plantations is predominantly composed of synanthropic plants of a weedy character with differences in species composition among different energy-tree and -grass species and varieties. The total number of vascular plant species was 98. The highest number of species (58) was recorded in the Tordis and Inger willow varieties, and the lowest was observed in the Pegaso poplar variety (45). Perennial species prevailed by their share, 10 of which were found in all four research plots. Therophytes and hemicryptophytes prevailed. Most species have high light requirements and are typical for mild-to-warm suboceanic areas, demanding freshly moist alkalic soils that are medium-to-rich in mineral nitrogen. Fifty percent of all observed species are considered weeds in Slovakia. The “very dangerous” category represented 46.94% of weeds, the “less dangerous” category 51.02%, and the “nondangerous” category represented 2.04% out of 49 species. The biggest share of “very dangerous weeds” was found in the poplar stand (38.78%), less in willow (32.65% and 28.57%), and the least in miscanthus stands (26.53%). The weeds of the Tordis variety were relatively poorly influenced by specific environmental conditions, and the weeds of the Inger variety were mainly defined by the soil reaction. Weeds in the undergrowth of both Miscanthus × giganteus and poplar trees (Pegaso) had the greatest affinity to mineral nitrogen content and temperature requirements.

On Abolition Ecologies and Making “Freedom as a Place”

AbstractThis introduction calls for political ecology to systematically engage with the ways that white supremacy shapes human relationships with land through entangled processes of settler colonialism, empire and racial capitalism. To develop the analytic of abolition ecology, we begin with the articulation of W.E.B. Du Bois’ abolition democracy together with Ruth Wilson Gilmore’s spatially attuned analytic of abolition geography. Rather than define communities by the violence they suffer, abolition ecologies call for attention to radical place‐making and the land, air and water based environments within which places are made. To that end, we suggest that an abolition ecology demands attention to the ways that coalitional land‐based politics dismantle oppressive institutions and to the promise of abolition, which Gilmore describes as making “freedom as a place”.

Probable benthic macroalgae from the Ediacara Member, South Australia

The Ediacara biota records the rise of morphologically complex macroscopic eukaryotes, including animals and other heterotrophs. Eltonian ecology demands that Ediacaran ecosystems must have been supported by primary producers (e.g., cyanobacteria, phytoplanktonic eukaryotes, benthic macroalgae). But the fossil record of Ediacaran primary producers has not been fully documented, particularly with respect to benthic macroalgae, hampering a complete understanding of Ediacaran ecosystems. Here we provide systematic description of probable benthic macroalgal fossils from the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite at the National Heritage site Nilpena in South Australia. These fossils include Flabellophyton stupendum sp. nov., F. typicum, Liulingitaenia irregularis sp. nov., and Longifuniculum cf. dissolutum. Previously informally referred to as Bundles of Filaments (BOF), they are characterized by bundled filaments that can be twisted, loosened, or otherwise deformed. Although many are fragmented, some specimens of Flabellophyton stupendum sp. nov., F. typicum, and possibly Longifuniculum cf. dissolutum bear structures that resemble variants of Pseudorhizostomites and “mop”, but interpreted here as holdfasts, suggesting that in life these were epibenthic organisms attached to the substrate. Atypical populations of relatively small Ediacara-type fossils are found on a bedding surface dominated by benthic macroalgae, suggesting that, together with microbial mats, these primary producers were beneficial for juvenile settlement of Ediacara-type organisms, potentially contributing both oxygen and nutrients. Although debates about animal affinity dominate Ediacaran paleontology, this study highlights the importance of benthic macroalgae in Ediacaran ecosystems.

Discussing the potential of using submersive water pumps powered by photovoltaic panels in agriculture and the alternative use for the supply of households in Romania

Abstract According to the current leadership of the EU Parliament, the use of renewable energy should not only represent a condition for emission reduction as an ecological demand, but also an opportunity to modernize the European economy and insure the sustainable development of the member countries. In this context, the aim of the current paper is to analyze the potential of using photovoltaic panels to power the water pumps utilized in both agriculture and supply of households in Romania and what the resulting impact would be from the ecological standpoint, as well as the economic and social one. The impact assessment follows the guideline proposed by the European House Ambrosetti latest publication regarding the socioeconomic impacts of the energy transition in Europe, but proposes a granular approach rather than a global one. The literature review of the existing publications presents an overview of the conclusions reached so far regarding water pumps powered by photovoltaic energy used for different purposes, such as the environmental and economic benefits of heat pump water heaters which are powered by photovoltaic energy or the performance comparison between photovoltaic heating systems and traditional ones. The current paper has the purpose of answering whether the utilization of photovoltaic powered water pumps in agriculture in Romania could bring economic and ecological benefits which would outweigh the costs and also, if this is the case, if there are also social benefits to be considered which would result in the use of this technology for households as well. The conclusions reach through this paper show the benefits of using the above mentioned technology for industrial purposes and its alternative potential for households. The contribution is to both the research field of renewable energy and its uses and to the policymakers to encourage investment in this direction.

Optimal Decision Model Design of Diversified Port Investment

Fu, T. and Zhang, Y., 2020. Optimal decision model design of diversified port investment. In: Yang, Y.; Mi, C.; Zhao, L., and Lam, S. (eds.), Global Topics and New Trends in Coastal Research: Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 103, pp. 159–162. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In order to solve the problem of low profit in the traditional optimal decision model of diversified port investment, a new optimal decision model of diversified port investment is designed. Firstly, the investment decision -making index system of major stakeholders is constructed, in which the major stakeholders include the government, investors, creditors, contractors, operators, and so on. Carry on hinterland area analysis and hinterland goods quantity forecast. Then, the constraints of the optimal decision model for diversified port investment are determined, including cost-benefit constraints, ecological carrying capacity constraints, supply and demand constraints, integer programming constraints. Finally, the optimal decision model of diversified port investment is constructed according to the given constraints. The model consists of demand forecasting module, income module, cost module and investment and financing module. In order to prove that the profit performance of the optimized decision model is good, the traditional model is compared with the model. The experimental results show that the model is better than the traditional model.